[caption id="attachment_2892" align="aligncenter" width="300"] Delivered to my door! An entire day's worth of raw juices, an elixir and tea for my cleanse from Belmonte Raw.[/caption] About once a year I like to do a detox, which started back in 2007. (I documented my maiden voyage here on ELLECanada.com). Don't get me wrong - I am neither rail-thin nor a nutritional saint. But what I find a detox does is neutralize cravings and reconnect me with the foods going into my mouth. "Pulling in the reigns of a runaway horse" is how I like to put it. Detoxes take planning (recipes, groceries, packing lunches, etc.), but this year I was feeling lazy. So I took some birthday money (thanks, Mom!) and invested in a pre-packaged, delivered-to-your-door 1-day raw juice cleanse from Belmonte Raw in Toronto. How does a raw juice cleanse work? Belmonte Raw founder and raw food guru Carol Belmonte made it ridiculously easy. She had all the food I needed delivered to my door at 5:30 a.m. - 6 juices, tea, and a chlorophyll "elixir" -  plus instructions, encouraging words, post-detox information, and a handy schedule I put into my phone: How did you feel? Were you STARVING? It's amazing what happens when you eat a little bit every hour, as health experts are always telling us to do. I was never hungry. I felt light, focused, and very calm and it was a regular, long, hairy day at the office. And a miracle happened: I haven't had coffee since the cleanse. It's been over a month, and this was not on my list of intentions at all. I've been guzzling coffee and riding the caffeine buzz since I was 16 and waiting tables. For some reason after this 24-hour raw juice cleanse, I haven't even wanted a coffee. It's a phenomenon I can't explain, but I love it! Calming Smoothie recipe from Carol Belmonte I asked Carol to share a recipe with our busy readers in mind, and she sent me this great smoothie recipe below:

*Green Calm* Here is a great recipe that I have used to help give me energy and to calm my nerves!! Ingredients 1-1/2 cup fresh coconut water (boxed if you cannot find it fresh) {to balance electrolytes} 1 cup of filtered water 1 large handful of spinach {to keep you grounded} 1/4 bunch of cilantro {to remove heavy metals} 1/4 cup of soaked hemp seeds {for protein} 1 drop of stevia {to bring sweetness} 2 drops of valerian {to calm my nerves} 1/4 vanilla pod 1 tablespoon of ground flax Preparation Put all ingredients, except the flax, in a high speed blender and blend until smooth and creamy.  Pour your smoothie in a large glass and garnish with ground flax.  Sit down, put your feet up and enjoy your green smoothie.

Obviously, I loved this juice cleanse experience so much I'm sharing it here on The Food Blog, and fully intend to do it again. Do you/would you do a detox, or do you think it's best to just eat well every day?

Related articles

 

• The Green Smoothie Recipe (linahansonblog.wordpress.com)
• Drink & Dash: Speedy smoothie recipes (canadianliving.com)